


Eggnog Wishes and Candy Cane Dreams (2004)

by JennyB



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Attempted Seduction, Challenge fic, Crack Prompts, First Time, M/M, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-15
Updated: 2004-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-07 01:26:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mokuba convinces Seto to have a Christmas party.  God only knows what will happen when the whole gang gets together!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

It was a week until Christmas, and Mokuba Kaiba was on a mission. His older brother had phoned earlier to tell him that he’d be working late to finish some last minute business before taking some time off for the holidays, and that he may be delayed due to the treacherous road conditions. The staff was just leaving for the day, leaving him all alone in the manor. He grinned mischievously to himself. The opportunity to do some pre-Christmas snooping was just too good to pass up, and besides, he really wanted to know if he’d be getting that new game system he desperately wanted. Granted, he felt a _little_ guilty about what he was doing, but his burning curiosity was far stronger than rational thought.

He stood outside the door to his brother’s bedroom and tentatively reached for the knob. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he slowly turned the brushed stainless steel, his breath catching in his throat as he listened for any sign of his brother’s return. He knew that if he was caught, he’d probably be grounded until the New Year, but the temptation was just too strong. The door opened with a silent click, and he quickly stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He didn’t know why he felt like he was going to be sick – he’d been in Seto’s room hundreds of times before. Maybe it was because this was the first time he’d been inside alone and uninvited. 

‘ _Better make this quick,_ ’ he thought to himself. ‘ _Seto prowls around like a cat, and he could come home at any second._ ’ He licked his dry lips and walked over to the wardrobe. Slowly, he pulled open the top drawer and began to carefully root around inside. Underneath the carefully folded piles of underwear he found… more underwear! The next drawer revealed pairs and pairs of socks, and finally, in the bottom drawer he found neatly folded casual pants and shirts. The closet revealed similar findings in the way of shirts, pants and coats, but still no presents. Mokuba sighed. Seto’s room was obviously a dead-end.

Dejected, he went back into the hallway, half expecting to find Seto standing there. Fortunately, the coast was clear, and he continued searching in the linen closets, the cleaning closets, the kitchen cupboards and even in the bathroom cabinets, but he still came up empty-handed. Finally, as he walked along a darkened corridor at the back of the manor, he came to a locked door. 

‘ _Of course! Seto’s office!_ ’ he thought triumphantly to himself. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he selected a fairly large, smooth, pink rock that was lying amongst its brothers inside a large potted fern. He tapped the rock on the side, and the bottom swung out to reveal a hidden key. Quickly, he opened the lock on the door, returned the key to its hiding place, and nestled the rock back inside the planter. Listening once more to confirm that there were no signs of his big brother, he crept inside. Given the amount of time Seto spent locked away in this office, he expected to see new prototypes of video games and electronic gimmicks or stacks of reports. His mouth dropped open in awe at what he saw. There was no desk, no office furniture of any kind, not even a computer or a telephone. Instead, there was a small Bose stereo, an easel, a small table, and several paintings of…Joey Wheeler? 

Cautiously, he approached the table and saw Seto’s sketchbook. Since when did Seto start drawing? Flipping it open, he saw dozens of pencil sketches of Joey. Some looked like simple snapshots of the boy engaged in everyday activities such as reading or writing. Some were of Joey in various states of undress. Mokuba shuddered in disgust and flipped a few pages ahead to see action shots of Joey duelling during the Battle City competition and at Duellist Kingdom. Finally, on the last page, he saw a sketch of Joey and his big brother in a tender embrace on a moonlit beach. The raven-haired boy closed the sketchbook, a wide grin spreading across his face. Seto was in love with Joey? This news was even better than Christmas itself! Putting the book back where he found it, he quickly turned off the lights and locked the office door behind him, a brilliant plan forming in his devious little mind.

* * *

When Seto Kaiba walked through the door that night, he was blind-sided by a bundle of energy topped with a mop of jet-black hair, the impact shaking loose the accumulated snow from his hair. 

“Welcome home, Big Brother!” the young boy said as he hugged the brunet tightly. Seto grunted and after some effort, managed to pry the younger boy off of him. He snorted in amusement and asked, “To what do I owe this… enthusiastic greeting tonight?”

“Big Brother, you know how it’s a week until Christmas, right?”

“Yes,” the other replied hesitantly.

“And you know how you’re off from now until the New Year?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I think it would be really fun if we had a Christmas party on Christmas Eve!”

Seto snorted again. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on Seto!” Mokuba whined. “I want to do something really fun with you and all of our friends.”

“Mokuba, I can barely tolerate your friends on the best of days. Why on earth would I open my house to them? Personally, if I never saw any of them ever again, that would be present enough for me this Christmas.”

“Please? It’ll only be…” He counted on his fingers, “Yugi, Téa, Marik, Tristan, Bakura, Duke…  
and Joey.”

Something flashed in Seto’s eyes for a split second when the blond’s name was mentioned but disappeared just as quickly to be replaced by steadfast disapproval. “No, Mokuba. Yugi annoys me and Bakura is certifiably insane. He’d probably set fire to something or try to kill someone. The subject is closed.” He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at his little brother. Mokuba was staring up at him, his bottom lip quivering, large eyes welling up with tears.

His small frame quivering, the younger boy choked out in gasping sobs, “I just…wanted…to… do…something for…Christmas for…my…friends.” A single tear rolled down his cheek and spilled onto his shirt, followed by a second, then a third.

Feeling like the Grinch, Seto sighed deeply, eyes softening a bit. “Fine. If it means that much to you, Mokuba, then go ahead, but you are responsible for…” He blinked down at his younger sibling who was now grinning and wiping his eyes, the tears miraculously gone. 

“You are a rotten kid, you know that?” he said, shaking his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “You know I hate to see you cry, and you _faked it_!”

Mokuba simply grinned wider and shrugged. “Sorry, Seto,” he laughed. “But you’ll have fun, I promise!” He ran off to his room to make invitations, leaving a very puzzled Seto in the foyer. 

By the time Mokuba reached his room, he knew what he was going to do. He sat down at his desk and neatly wrote out invitations for all the guests, including one for his older brother. Then on separate sheets of paper, he printed each person’s name and instructions to bring said person an anonymous gift, similar to a ‘ _Secret Santa_ ’ exchange. He smirked as he selected Joey’s name from the pile and stuck it in the invitation for Seto, then stuffed the remaining names and invitations into envelopes and addressed them. As he carefully sealed each envelope, he wondered how he was going to make it through the next week without dying of impatience.

* * *

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly. The only evidence of the previous night’s storm was the knee-deep drifts covering the sidewalks and the three-foot snow banks lining the roads. As Joey, Bakura and Tristan crossed the last street and entered the mall parking lot, they heard a frantic voice call out, “Look out! I can’t stop this thing!!” 

The three looked up the street to see a large bundle of brown and tan barrelling towards them at an uncomfortably fast speed. Joey and Tristan managed to jump out of the way in time, but Bakura was bowled over by Marik Ishtar, who was wearing a large, furry reindeer outfit and riding a snowboard. As the pair skidded across the packed snow and slid to a stop a few metres away, Joey and Tristan ran over shouting, “Bakura! Marik! Are you guys ok?”

Marik was sitting on Bakura’s chest, shaking off the snow from his costume and hair, kicking off the snowboard in disgust. He looked down at Bakura, who was sprawled spread-eagle on his back glaring daggers at the Egyptian. “Sorry about that, Love. I was snowboarding off the back of my friend’s truck as part of his Christmas promotion, and I guess I lost control.” He grinned, “Are you ok?”

Bakura let out a roar of rage and spat, “I’m fine, but you won’t be if I catch you. I’m going to cut out your gut you alive and turn you into a Christmas entrée!”

Marik smiled at him, “Very funny.” He offered his hand to the other and hoisted him to his feet.

Once he was a lot less horizontal, Bakura pulled out a switchblade knife and flicked it open. “I’m going to kill you, you bastard!”

Marik took one look at the gleaming blade, his eyes widening. “Oh shit!” he shouted and took off running across the parking lot, his feet sliding out from under him as he ran, Bakura following suit.

“Hey, you think we should go after them?” Tristan asked.

“Nah, they’re just goofing around out here. What can happen?” Joey replied, trying to stop himself from laughing, his arms around Tristan, who was trying to support the blond who was doubled over with laughter. He turned in shock when he heard the unmistakable sound of an engine revving, then watched as a black Mercedes SLK350 went skidding past them, did two complete rotations, then neatly embedded itself tail-first into a snow bank. “Holy shit!” Joey shouted as the two boys raced over to the vehicle. Inside they saw the two Kaiba brothers, visibly shaken but otherwise unharmed.

“Mokuba! Are you guys ok?”

The raven-haired boy nodded. “Yeah, we’re fine, but we’re stuck! The snow’s blocking the door and we can’t get out.”

“Are you guys gonna call for a tow truck?” Tristan asked. 

“No,” snapped Seto coldly, glaring at the other brunet.

“Seto didn’t bring his cell phone with him,” Mokuba called out, earning him a withering stare from his older brother. 

“Well, why the hell not?” Tristan demanded.

“I don’t think that’s any of your concern,” Seto replied coldly, “Now if you don’t mind, leave us alone. We can handle this.” He threw the car into drive and stepped on the gas. The wheels spun but the car remained firmly in place.

“Hey Kaiba, cut it out!” Joey called, dodging the spray of snow and slush spewing out from around the car. “You’ve high-centred the axle, and the rear tires aren’t even touching the ground. All you’re doing is making a slick of ice.”

“Stay out of this, Mutt. I told you, it’s none of your concern.”

“Besides, driving a car like this in the winter is just asking for trouble.”

“I said, stay out of this!”

“Well then, looks like you’re here until spring,” Joey said casually. “Good luck getting out.”

“Hey, do you guys think you can maybe dig out some of the snow, and we can try to drive the car out, or at least open up the doors?” Mokuba asked while his older brother seethed in silent rage in the driver’s seat.

Tristan looked at Joey, who grinned and nodded. “Well, since it’s for you, Mokuba, sure,” Tristan replied, joining Joey on the ground and starting to scoop the snow out from under the tires As an afterthought, he stood up and said, “Just don’t let your brother run us over, ok?” He got back on his hands and knees and the two continued digging. After about ten minutes of labour, the pair stood up, wet and breathless from the effort. “Man, this sucks without shovels,” Tristan complained pulling off his wet gloves. “Ok, Kaiba. Give it a try.” 

The brunet stepped on the gas, and the car rocked a little, but still refused to budge from its snowy prison. Joey leaned on the passenger side window, while Tristan took the driver’s side. As Kaiba gave the car some gas, they both pushed. The car started to budge, but one tire still refused to gain traction. With renewed vigor, the two boys pushed. Suddenly, Tristan lost his footing and with arms flailing, his hands scrambled for something to stop his fall. Unfortunately, the side mirror was not designed to support the weight of a human being and it snapped off under the stress. “Shit!” Tristan groaned as he saw the object in his hands. He stood up quickly, the broken mirror in his hand and looked guiltily at Kaiba. Joey and Mokuba were shaking with silent laughter as Kaiba looked at the other brunet and said in a quiet, controlled voice, “That’s not helping.”

“Hang on, Kaiba. I’ve got an idea.” Joey trotted over to where Marik had left his snowboard and picked it up. “Sorry, Marik,” he apologized aloud, then he stuffed the snowboard under the spinning tire.

“Ok Kaiba, floor it!” The car hesitated, then surged forward, and the Kaiba brothers were freed. Unfortunately, Marik’s snowboard was no more.

Seto put the car in park and turned off the engine. Grumpily, he climbed out of the driver’s seat and surveyed the damage on the back end of his car. “Perfect!” he exclaimed. As he stood there fuming silently to himself, Tristan handed him the broken mirror. 

“Uh, maybe they can reattach this,” he said.

“Maybe they can reattach your brain, too,” Seto replied snarkily as he angrily tossed the mirror into the car and slammed the door. “Imbecile!”

“So, uh, I guess we’ll be going then, since you know, you guys seem to be ok,” Joey said, running his hand self-consciously through his hair. “Besides, Yugi and Téa are probably already here, and Bakura…” His voice trailed off as his face suddenly grew pale. He frantically scanned the parking lot and his face fell. “Oh hell! Marik and Bakura must’ve gone inside the mall! God help the shoppers…” He took off running towards the entrance, trying his best not to slip on the packed snow. 

“Wait for me, Bud!” Tristan called after him, running to catch up to his friend.

“Come on, Big Brother!” Mokuba called out as he made his way towards the entrance. “This could be interesting!”

Seto followed his younger sibling, his hands in his pockets, singing softly to himself under his breath, ‘ _Wreck the Halls with Mass Destruction_ ’.

* * *

When the four got inside the mall, they stopped dead in their tracks and stared, stunned by what they saw. Unfortunately for the mall and its patrons, Marik and Bakura had chosen the mall entrance closest to the North Pole display, and it had seen the wrath of Bakura. Santa’s Workshop looked more like a scene from downtown Beirut. Display presents were scattered everywhere across the aisles and it looked like one of the boys (or both!) had crashed through the walls of the gingerbread house. Cotton was strewn everywhere, and Santa’s large, red velvet armchair was knocked onto its side. Wooden pipers and drummers from the ‘ _Twelve Days of Christmas_ ’ display had been knocked over and now littered the storefronts creating a festive slalom for shoppers to navigate around. As Joey ran over to try to catch Bakura, he saw Yugi standing on the access ramp to Santa’s chair, his arms wide, trying to slow down the white-haired boy’s rampage.

With an enraged growl at having his path blocked, Bakura vaulted over the picket fence, and sent a shower of tinsel, leaves and glitter flying onto the smaller boy. The white-haired boy took another step towards Marik, and found himself knee-deep in a sea of cotton ‘ _snow_ ’ and cardboard, having sank through the display floor. Frustrated, he began throwing parts of the display around him – large plastic swans, wooden figures of ladies and lords, and unfortunately, the only ‘ _live_ ’ portion of the display. Contributed by the local pet shop was a small topiary of a pear tree and in a large gilded cage, a small partridge. As Bakura hurled the small plant, there was a shrill peep from the bird as the cage exploded open, freeing its terrified, and genuinely upset, inhabitant. 

With another shrill cry, the bird circled above the bedlam, dive-bombing anyone who dared to approach its broken home. It caught sight of Yugi out of the corner of its eye and commenced its attack. 

Yugi, who currently looked like some sort of Charlie Brown Christmas tree, his hair serving as some type of garish star, gasped in panic and tried to run. Stepping on the end of a piece of garland, he tripped, lost his balance, and fell onto the other side of the display floor. Weighing less than Bakura, he didn’t fall through the cardboard – immediately. His rear end caved in the heavy cardboard, effectively incapacitating him and leaving him looking like a starfish with his arms and legs skewed out to the side.

Regrettably, the shock to the display and the sudden lack of support caused the gigantic Christmas tree located next to Santa’s chair to teeter, and the next thing anyone knew, the immense fir tree toppled over and like something out of ‘ _Little Shop of Horrors_ ’, appeared to swallow up the small boy.

“Yugi!” Tristan yelled, and rushed over to help his friend. As he was running to help retrieve his short companion from the piney deep, he ran headlong into another body running from the other direction. Duke crashed heavily into Tristan, and wound up lying on top of the brunet, their legs entangled, his arms around him. For a brief moment, the two simply stared at each other, Duke moving slightly closer to Tristan, his eyes glazing over.

“Yugi? Aibou!” came the muffled sound of Yami’s voice from within the confines of the conifer. “Damn, He’s been knocked out cold! Help! Yugi needs help!” 

“Shit! Yami!” Tristan yelled, roughly shoving Duke off of him and scrambling to his feet. With Duke’s help, they managed to lift the tree off of Yami and restore it to a semi-upright position. They grabbed the spikey-haired boy’s hand and with some effort yanked him out of the hole. Righting Santa’s armchair, they sat Yami in it, and watched anxiously as he tried to revive his unconscious hikari. After a few minutes, they heard a sigh from Yami and he said, “Yugi’s ok, just a little shaken up.” 

Meanwhile, Joey had taken off his jacket and had managed to recapture the panicked partridge, receiving a couple of well-placed pecks on his hand for his trouble. He cradled the bird in his arms and handed it back to the horrified pet shop owner, who glared at Joey as if this were somehow all his fault.

While all of this was going on, Seto stood off to the side taking in the chaos surrounding him. He’d found the impromptu decoration of his rival somewhat amusing, and the bird attack comical as well, but when the short boy had fallen into the tree and just ‘disappeared’, it had been all he could do to keep from exploding into peals of laughter. As it was, he was biting his lip and shaking as tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes.

Mokuba looked over at him and asked in a concerned voice, “Big Brother, are you ok?”

That did it. The brunet started laughing uncontrollably, his whole body shaking, bent over double and gasping for breath.

“You think this is fucking funny?” Joey glared at Seto, obviously irritated by the brunet’s actions.

Seto stopped laughing, and stared at him blankly for a moment before he was once again overcome with gales of laughter. “Oh, come on…Pup,” he gasped. “Where’s your…sense of…humour? Lighten up…It’s Christmas.” 

Joey opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass and a large crash. He, Yami, Tristan, Duke, Téa, Mokuba and Seto rushed over to see the front window of the candy store smashed, and Bakura and Marik lying in the front window. Bakura had Marik pinned down, and was busy ravaging his mouth.

Bakura tossed his knife to the side, tearing open Marik’s costume. “The hell with an entrée, I’m eating my dessert first,” he growled lustily, licking slowly up and down the other’s chest, one hand down Marik’s pants, the other roughly tweaking a pert nipple. “As soon as I get you out of this, I’m going to ravage your body in ways you’ve never imagined.”

With a snort of disgust, Seto put his hand over Mokuba’s eyes and steered him back to the remnants of Santa’s Workshop, all the while ignoring his protests of being ‘ _mature_ ’ and having learned about that type of stuff in school. The rest of the group, feeling more than a little awkward witnessing the display in front of them, joined the Kaiba brothers. 

“That was…um…fun?” Téa began, looking around hopefully at the rest of the group, wishing one of them would jump in.

“Yeah, great fun, Téa,” Joey replied sarcastically, dabbing at the wounds on his hand. “Attacked by a crazy bird and…great! I got bird shit inside my coat!” 

“Well,” Mokuba began, “I know it hasn’t been a great start to the Christmas break, but since you’re all here, I might as well hand-deliver these!” He handed each person their invitation. “It’s for a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. I hope you all can come!” His smile faded as he looked tentatively back to the candy shop, then handed two extra envelopes to Yami. “And uh…can you see that those two get these when they’re…not busy?”


	2. Chapter Two

Seto Kaiba was in a good mood. Mokuba’s Christmas party was tomorrow, everyone was coming (notably, one extremely good looking blond!), and he was back from the Kaiba Corp. Stockholder’s party. He had promised his younger brother that he would help him prepare for tomorrow’s get-together, and he still had some shopping to do, but right now, he was helplessly caught in an eggnog-induced haze. He felt a little light-headed as he climbed the stairs to his room, grateful that the party had been a luncheon rather than a dinner – it kept him from having to ‘socialize’ too much. Halfway down the hall, he ran into his younger sibling. Patting him on the head, he said giddily, “Hey Moku-rin! You know, I’m glad you’re having your little party tomorrow after all.” He executed a clumsy pirouette before disappearing into his bedroom, humming a very off-key ‘ _Silent Night_ ’.

Mokuba blinked at the retreating back of his obviously intoxicated brother. Suddenly, a devilish grin split across his face. He ran back to his own bedroom and fumbled around in his closet for a few moments. Triumphantly, he pulled out a small palm-sized video recorder, checked for a blank tape, and crept over to his brother’s room. He knocked softly and, hearing no response, opened the door. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom over which came the singing of Christmas carols being belted out full-volume, not even remotely close to being in tune. Turning on the camera, he pointed it at himself and said, “Today, from the makers of ‘ _Why Aluminum Foil Shouldn’t Be Microwaved_ ’ and ‘ _Shepherd’s Pie: Culinary Mistake or Alpo Cover-Up?_ ’ we proudly present another Mokuba Kaiba original documentary. We all know that Seto Kaiba is not only the CEO of the best corporation in the world, but we also know that he’s flawless in everything he does. Or is he?.. We now bring you ‘ _Christmas Carols by Seto: the Screeching Cat Edition_ ’.” He gently pushed open the bathroom door about four inches, setting the camera carefully on the floor. Stifling a giggle, he whispered, “We’re sorry we can’t bring you actual photos of Seto, but if you listen closely, you can hear his sweet, majestic song:”

The sounds of ‘ _The Twelve Days of Christmas_ ’ floated into the room; it was very loud, very jarring, very slurred, and very, very wrong. “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my Joey gave to me: twelve something, something; eleven pipers something; ten I-can’t-remember; FIVE GOLDEN RINGS; four calling cards; three French fries; two luscious lips, and I want him to stay here with me!” Mokuba captured several other of Seto’s ‘ _classic_ ’ holiday renditions, most of which dealt in one way or another with the blond. ‘ _Man, he’s got it bad for Joey,_ ’ he thought. Finally, the sound of running water stopped. Grabbing his camera, the raven-haired boy quickly scurried out into the hallway, carefully closing the door behind him. As he safely stored the tape and put the camera away, he giggled to himself. Undoubtedly, this little gem would come in handy some day.

* * *

Later that afternoon, when Seto was finally cognizant enough to drive, he shuffled Mokuba into the car and headed out for the mall. As he neared the parking lot, he kept an eye peeled for any sign of Joey. He frowned as he thought back to the other day and how he’d seen him and that half-wit Tristan hugging each other. Anger and jealousy had clouded his judgement, and he had stepped on the gas in a rage. Forgetting the treacherous conditions Mother Nature had created, he had gone skidding into the damned snow bank and been ‘ _rescued_ ’ by his puppy and the oaf. Fortunately for him, the parking lot was free of overly affectionate pedestrians this afternoon, and he was able to park his now-dented Mercedes incident free. 

Once inside the mall, Seto’s memory conjured up the events of that afternoon, and he took a moment to survey the aftermath of Bakura’s rampage. The mall personnel had worked diligently to rebuild Santa’s Workshop, and with the exception of a few scratched and dented figures, there was no sign that anything had been amiss. The candy shop, too, had managed to repair its front window; however, Seto noticed they no longer had as elaborate of a display. He felt a tugging at his hand, and absently followed Mokuba to the sweet shop.

Seeing the disapproving look on his older brother’s face as he peered through the window of the display case, Mokuba said, “It’s not for me, Seto. It’s for the party; I need to pick up some things.”

Seto narrowed his eyes and looked at the boy suspiciously for a moment. “Right. The day you go into a candy store and don’t buy something for yourself is the day Joey Wheeler skips lunch.” He saw Mokuba’s lower lip protruding, knowing a full-blown pout was imminent. He opened his wallet and handed him several bills. “Fine then. Choose what you want, and if you need more money, come ask me. I’ll wait for you outside; the smell of the chocolate is making me nauseous.”

He sat down on a bench and watched as Mokuba picked out an assortment of truffles, fudge, homemade peanut brittle, chocolate-dipped pretzels, and about a dozen large candy canes. He saw Mokuba pay the clerk, and heard him call out, “Merry Christmas” as he skipped happily out of the store. 

When the smaller boy had rejoined his brother, he rummaged in the bag and pulled out one of the candy canes. He bit off a large piece and looked up at his brother. “What?” he asked innocently.

Seto frowned, “I thought this was for your party?”

Mokuba shrugged and grinned, “Yeah, well, you were right…I have no self-control.”

After the candy store, Mokuba wanted to go and look at the display for the new video game system he had been pining for since early November. Seto smirked to himself, knowing that he had one for his brother already wrapped and sitting in his office at Kaiba Corp. He had learned quickly that his younger brother was a little snoop, and keeping his presents out of the house was a guaranteed way to keep his brother from finding everything. All of the gifts for Mokuba would be delivered tomorrow morning when Mokuba had his final meeting with the caterers. Of course, this didn’t mean Seto didn’t know where Mokuba had hidden the presents for him – third closet in the main hallway, top shelf, under the extra pillows. ‘ _The kid still has a lot to learn about hiding things,_ ’ he thought, chuckling softly to himself.

While his brother drooled over the electronic utopia in front of him, Seto caught sight of something in a shop window across the hall. Telling his brother he’d be right back, he dashed over to the store and made a quick, impulsive purchase. With his plastic bag in tow, he returned to the electronics store and dragged a pouting Mokuba away.

After a few more stops and a few more purchases, the two siblings made their way back to the car. As Seto was loading everything into the trunk, Mokuba caught sight of Seto’s earlier purchase.

“Hey Seto, what’s in that bag?” he asked, pointing to it.

“Don’t worry about it,” came the curt reply.

“Aw, come on Seto! Is it something for me?”

“No.”

“Is it something for Joey?” the boy asked in a singsong voice.

“Cut it out. You know I can’t stand the mutt,” Seto snapped, trying his hardest not to let his little brother see the blush creeping up into his cheeks. “Get in the car. We have a lot of work to do.”

The younger Kaiba climbed in the passenger seat and grinned. Sometimes it was just too much fun to push Seto’s buttons.

* * *

Christmas Eve morning saw Mokuba up bright and early. With the help of his big brother and a few members of the staff who had ‘ _volunteered_ ’ to help out, they had managed to put up and decorate a Christmas tree, hang stockings for both the guests and themselves by the fireplace, and build a warm, cheery fire in the hearth. Coloured lights were wrapped in white tulle and strung from the banisters. Tinsel and garlands were draped on almost every conceivable surface. Seto looked around the Great Hall and winced – it looked like Las Vegas only glitzier, tackier, and topped off with a large Rudolph plushie wearing a Santa hat.

“Mokuba, is all this really necessary?” he asked, automatically receiving an enthusiastic nod from his brother. Seto opened his mouth as if to speak, then threw up his hands in defeat and disappeared into his room for a while, feeling the beginnings of a migraine.

By the time the plates, cups and utensils were set out, a punch bowl of eggnog was made, and the food was prepared, it was nearing the time for the guests to start arriving. Mokuba dashed upstairs and quickly showered, running a towel haphazardly over his long hair, then blow-drying it as best as he could. He pulled a suit bag out of his closet, carefully laying it on his bed. Nestled inside was a small red and green velvet suit with a matching hat. He quickly dressed, setting the cap on his head at a jaunty angle. Looking in the mirror, he smiled. From the little curved slippers with the tiny bells, to the striped tights and turtleneck, to the  
Harlequin-style elf suit, Mokuba looked like he just stepped off of a sleigh from the North Pole! He had figured that since he was going to be the one handing out the Secret Santa presents, he might as well look the part. Checking the time, he ran down the hall and knocked on his brother’s door.

“What?” came the irritated reply from behind the heavy frame.

“Seto, it’s almost time for the party. Are you ready yet?” He heard an ambiguous grunt. Taking that as permission to enter, he shrugged and opened the door. He watched as his brother spritzed on some cologne, noting with silent approval the black slacks and turtleneck he wore, paired with the dark plum velour V-neck sweater. “You look nice, Nii-san.”

Seto turned around, raising an eyebrow when he saw his younger sibling. “Halloween was two months ago,” he remarked, “What are you? A court jester?”

Mokuba pretended to pout. “No, I’m one of Santa’s elves.”

Seto snorted in amusement, “Yeah, you’re short enough to be. Could be a tough competition between you and Yugi, though…”

Mokuba rolled his eyes. “That’s not funny, Seto.”

The brunet hugged his brother and said, “Merry Christmas, Mokuba. Come on, kiddo, let’s do this thing.”

* * *

Soon, all of the guests had arrived, and, unlike Seto, everyone had thought Mokuba’s elf costume was simply too adorable for words. Téa had snuggled the raven-haired boy so tightly that when she finally let him go, he felt breathless and woozy, silently regretting his choice of costume. 

Once he had escaped the clutches of everyone who wanted to cuddle him and pinch his cheeks, he grabbed a large, red velvet sack and collected all the Secret Santa presents that had been left in the entranceway, finding it odd that there seemed to be more gifts than guests. Setting the bag under the tree, he invited all his guests to eat and drink while he put on a CD of Christmas music to set the mood. Once everyone had helped themselves, Mokuba got himself a cup of eggnog to drink and some food. He took a sip and nearly spat it right back out. 

‘ _Oh no,_ ’ he thought. ‘ _The caterers must have gotten mixed up and accidentally spiked the eggnog!_ ’ He looked around at the group, all chatting and having a good time. Nobody else seemed to have noticed; or if they had, they certainly weren’t saying anything. ‘ _Well, if no one else cares, why should I? Besides, maybe I can get Seto to sing again,_ ’ he thought as he grinned to himself, reaching for the hot chocolate. 

After finishing her third cup of eggnog, Téa stood up and began rummaging through her purse. She pulled out a small plastic sprig of mistletoe and smiled at Tristan. She beckoned to him with her index finger then winked and smiled widely as she strode over to where he sat. With a look of terror in his eyes, Tristan jumped up from his place on the couch, leapt over the coffee table, and ran to where Duke was standing in the doorway. Taking cover behind the black-haired boy who stood as a buffer between him and the ever-advancing Téa, he looked pleadingly into his emerald green eyes and whispered desperately, “For the love of God Duke, _DO_ something!”

Duke grinned like a Cheshire cat. He turned swiftly and caught Tristan’s wrists in his hands, pinning him against the doorjamb. “You want my help, Tristan? I think I can help you; help you relax that is...” He pressed his body against Tristan’s and started to slowly rub against the brunet’s leg. 

Tristan just stared at him wide-eyed. “Holy shit! Duke, are you drunk?”

“Yeah, drunk on my love for you, baby. Either that, or it’s the eggnog.” Duke shrugged and swooned slightly as he looked up. “Oh, looky here – a sprig of mistletoe.” He leaned close to Tristan and whispered lecherously in his ear, “You know, if someone is captured under the mistletoe and refuses to kiss, it’s bad luck.”

Tristan gulped and looked over at Téa, who was watching the whole exchange between the two, a horrified expression on her face. He was beginning to wish he had just kissed her and been done with it. “Duke, I’ve never heard that before.”

“Come on, Tristan. You can’t deny that you didn’t _feel_ it between us…Need I remind you about the other day, at the mall?” He ground his hips against Tristan as the other boy began to blush a deep crimson.

“Really Duke, I’m flattered and all but –“ He was stopped short by a pair of moist lips being pressed onto his own while a tongue was thrust abruptly into his mouth. He resisted at first, but soon wrapped his arms around the other and started to return the kiss. When they finally parted, Duke stood beside Tristan, one arm draped possessively across his shoulder, the other around his waist, while Tristan simply stood there stupidly and blushed.

Téa was livid, her teeth clenched in anger. She turned and looked around the room, seeking another eligible target. She smiled flirtatiously as she started to walk towards Seto. 

“Don’t even think about it, Téa,” Seto said coldly. “I’d sooner let Bakura have his way with me.”

At the mention of his name, the white-haired boy perked up. “Really?” he asked, licking his lips.

Seto cast an exasperated glance at him. “In your dreams.” He turned back to Téa, who had tears welling up in her eyes. 

“Excuse me,” she said, grabbing her purse. “I need to powder my nose.” 

“Great!” Joey said, standing up from his place on the floor and stretching, flipping the pompom on the Santa cap he wore out of his face. “Now that Téa’s moved, maybe I can have her spot.” He moved to take the now-vacant place on the loveseat beside Seto, noticing the strange look the brunet was giving him. “Or, maybe not,” he said, backing away slightly. 

“Mutt, sit,” Seto said simply as Joey shot him a venomous look. He smiled in satisfaction when the blond plopped himself onto the cushion beside him with a huff.

Noticing the awkward silence that descended on the group, Mokuba quickly announced that as soon as Téa got back, the Secret Santa would begin. While they waited for her, everyone got comfortable on the various pieces of furniture located in the room. Seto and Joey occupied the loveseat while Bakura had the armchair, Marik cuddled up at his feet. Yugi sat in one corner of the couch and Tristan at the other, Duke lying on the floor in front of him. Mokuba, of course, had his large TV pillow, and while they waited, he busied himself with the tassels on the velvet bag.

When Téa finally returned, Yugi was the first to see her, noticing the determined gleam in her eye. When he saw that she was approaching him, he quickly retreated inward, forcing Yami out. 

“Yugi, what are you doing? Come back this instant!” Yami hissed, then looked up and saw the reason for Yugi’s hasty departure. Before he could move, Téa was already in front of him, her mistletoe in one hand and a pair of pink fun-fur handcuffs in the other, one of the cuffs already clamped around her slender wrist. Stunned, Yami could only watch through a surreal haze as Téa clamped the other bracelet around his wrist and sandwiched herself on the couch between Tristan and him. ‘Might as well not resist,’ he thought to himself as he sighed inwardly.

“Gotcha!” she crowed, holding the mistletoe over her head.

“Téa, my dear friend,” Yami purred suavely, looking into her pale blue eyes, “If you wanted a kiss from me, all you had to do was ask. Back in Egypt, I was not only the King of Games, but also the King of Love.” He leaned over and gently placed a soft kiss on her lips.

A faint blush and a smile spread across her face, and she sighed happily as she fumbled around in her purse for the key to the handcuffs. She quickly freed the two of them, snuggling contentedly against Yami, who looked completely terrified.

Bakura snorted. “God, right now you’re the King of Making-Me-Vomit-Uncontrollably!” he grumbled irritably. “If you two are quite finished, can we continue with the evening, please?”

Mokuba cleared his throat as he stood up. “Ok, I asked each of you to bring a gift for the person listed on your invitation. I’m going to hand them out one at a time, and everyone has to show what they got, but the identity of the giver has to stay secret.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a medium-sized box. “This one’s for you, Big Brother.” He handed the box over to Seto, along with a large peppermint candy cane.

Bakura looked over and sniggered, “Oh good choice! Maybe that candy cane can replace the rod that’s permanently stuck up your ass over the holiday season, eh Kaiba? It’s a lot more festive, don’t you think?”

As a wave of giggles went around the room, Seto cast a withering glare at Bakura before returning to the task of opening his gift. He pulled out a coffee mug with ‘ _Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella_ ’ etched on it, a book called ‘ _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ ’ and a small pewter Blue Eyes White Dragon figurine. Seto smirked as he thought, ‘ _Téa…it has to be. Well, one out of three isn’t bad._ ’ He nodded his thanks, and set everything on the edge of the end table.

Next, Mokuba pulled out an odd-shaped package and handed it to Tristan, accompanied by a large peppermint candy cane.

“I wonder what this is?” Tristan wondered aloud, shaking the box.

“Probably a clue, you moron. Maybe someone thought you could use one.“ Seto ignored the finger Tristan sent his way.

In one quick motion, Tristan pulled the paper off the package to reveal a novelty telephone shaped like a robotic monkey. Everyone burst out laughing as Tristan sat there with a sour look on his face. “Thanks a lot, you guys,” he said, smiling good-naturedly. 

As the gifts continued to be passed out, everyone received a large candy cane with their gift. Marik got a gold necklace with an Eye of Horus pendant, Duke had been given a cubic zirconia dice-shaped earring, Téa had received two tickets to the ballet, and Mokuba had been given a gift card good for forty hours of time in the local arcade. Yugi had received a giant assortment of puzzles and games, and Bakura had just finished opening up a book about the occult. Finally, there was only Joey left. Mokuba reached into the bag and pulled out a small box, frowning as he looked it. He handed it over to Joey, along with the now-trademark peppermint candy cane.

Eagerly, Joey tore the paper off the package, and stared in awe at the gift. It was a deep box, probably four by six inches in size. Inlaid all around the sides and across the lid were Duel Monsters, created with precious stones and metals. There was an obsidian Red Eyes Black Dragon with a ruby eye, a mother-of-pearl Blue Eyes White Dragon with a sapphire eye, and an amethyst Dark Magician. Smaller monsters had been etched into the side of the box in exquisite detail. “Whoa! Thanks a lot; this is awesome!”

Mokuba was puzzled. He knew that wasn’t the package he had put in the bag for Joey earlier that evening. He reached inside the depths of the bag, looking over at his older brother. As always, his eyes were expressionless, his face impassive. He knew Seto had to have put the box in there for Joey, as he was the only one with the connections to find such an object and the money to pay for it. What confused him was when had Seto made the switch? 

“Hey, there are still some things in here. Looks like Santa was extra-good to some people.” He pulled out several packages, handing them around to Bakura, Yugi, Tristan and Joey.

Tristan opened his parcel and found a pair of edible underwear, cherry flavour. He looked around the room and saw Duke wink at him. Rolling his eyes, he managed a feeble smile. Yugi opened up a box and found a studded leather dog collar and Joey breathed a sigh of relief to see that the gift hadn’t been meant for him.

Bakura’s eyes widened in surprise. “Alright! Now these are my kind of gifts!” he exclaimed as he raised a set of handcuffs amid his mess of torn paper. “Aw, shit,” he muttered, looking crestfallen. “I already have three sets of these…”

“What’d you get, Joey?” Mokuba asked.

The blond turned a deep shade of crimson when he saw what was inside the paper and quickly rewrapped it and stuffed it down beside the arm of the loveseat. “Um…it was…it was…”

Marik sprung cat-like from his place at Bakura’s feet, and before Joey knew what he was doing, he’d snatched the parcel from beside the blond. “Ooh!” he cried, “It’s from his secret admirer. I wonder who that could be?” Joey lunged at him, but Marik was too quick and easily stepped out of his way, watching with amusement as the blond landed very unceremoniously in Bakura’s lap. Marik pulled back the paper and displayed to the entire room a giant Econo-Save bottle of ‘ _Colonel Slipdick’s Chocolate Flavoured Premium Ecstasy Lube_ ’.

As a few snickers erupted from the group, Joey blushed an even deeper crimson. Bakura pulled the blond out of his lap, and grinning quipped, “I’m not your secret admirer, but if you want I’d be perfectly happy to help you test out your new product. They don’t call him ‘ _Colonel Slipdick_ ’ for nothing, right Marik?” He looked over at Seto who was staring absently at the fire, sucking on the end of his candy cane and every so often languorously twirling it around in his hand. With a smirk, Bakura added, “Or, maybe Kaiba could give you a good ‘tongue lashing’ after he’s given you a good tongue lashing. Looks like he’s practicing for something, and we all know what a _perfectionist_ he is. Practice makes perfect, eh Kaiba?” The perverted innuendo practically oozed out of every syllable he spoke.

Joey felt his cheeks burning and looked at Seto, seeing a faint pink dance across his cheeks as their eyes locked momentarily. He felt a small flutter in his heart and an unwelcome queasiness in his stomach. Clumsily, Joey climbed out of Bakura’s lap and announced to the room, “I’ll uh…be right back. I’m just going to the bathroom to um…go to the bathroom.” As he walked from the room, he smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. “Moron!” he muttered out loud to himself.

Instead of heading to the bathroom, he sat on the bench in the front foyer and put on his boots and jacket. Sneaking out the door, he made his way down the laneway to Tristan’s beat-up Toyota Corolla and opened the driver’s door. Sitting inside, he contemplated what had just transpired. Did Kaiba actually _like_ him? He was sure he’d seen the brunet blush when they’d looked at each other, and Kaiba hadn’t really seemed to mind that he’d been sitting next to him for most of the evening. If only he knew for certain, then he wouldn’t feel like a complete idiot when he gave Kaiba the present he’d bought him for Christmas. “Damn it!” he shouted, punching the passenger seat for emphasis. Why did everything in his life have to be so complicated and uncertain? And who the hell was this ‘ _secret admirer_ ’ who had given him a giant bottle of lube in front of everyone? ‘ _Probably Tristan,_ ’ he thought to himself. “Prick,” he growled, giving an indignant snort. Suddenly, he got an idea, one that would allow him to give Kaiba his gift without the embarrassment of actually having to face the brunet. He quickly popped the trunk release and grabbed the backpack he had brought with him. Slamming the trunk, he skulked over to the large mailbox. He unzipped the large bag, shoving his spare clothing out of the way to reveal four packages. He congratulated himself on his quick thinking and began to stuff them inside the box. Just as he was cramming in the last one, he heard a cold voice call to him from the darkness of the front porch, “Well, well, well…Looks like I caught my puppy in the act.”


	3. Chapter Three

Joey’s eyes widened in horror. He whirled around to see Seto standing in the shadows of the porch, a smug smirk tugging at his lips. Quickly slamming the lid closed, Joey shoved his hands behind his back, and stammered, “Oh, uh…hi Kaiba.” He looked around casually, then smacked his hand to his forehead in mock-surprise. “Wait a sec, this isn’t the bathroom! I was wondering why it felt so cold!”

“Indeed,” Kaiba replied, watching the display unfold in front of him with some amusement.

“Well,” Joey babbled in an overly-chipper tone, “I guess I’ll uh, just be heading back inside to find it then.” He made a move to go around the brunet, but Seto reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“I think not.” Joey’s insides turned to ice. “Tell me, would you honestly have me believe that you’re stupid enough to wind up outside looking for the bathroom? Or were you looking for the fire hydrant?” deadpanned Seto. 

“Well, you see, it’s really a funny thing –“

“Save it,” Seto interrupted, dropping the blond’s wrist and folding his arms across his chest. “Now tell me, what were you really doing out here?” Joey blushed in embarrassment but said nothing, suddenly finding the flagstone porch extremely fascinating. 

“Not talking? Fine. I’ll see for myself then, shall I?” The brunet opened the mailbox, revealing the packages stuffed carefully inside. He looked back at Joey, who was in the process of trying to sneak away to hide. The blond had almost made it to the front door when Seto saw him. “Freeze.”

Joey stopped and closed his eyes in defeat, knowing his last chance for escape was gone. He watched as Seto tucked the packages neatly under his arm, then grabbed him once again by the wrist.

“Come with me,” the brunet commanded.

Joey gulped and trotted along behind him in silence. He followed Seto past the Great Hall and down another corridor. From the way Seto spoke, Joey couldn’t tell if the brunet was angry or amused. His body language wasn’t providing any clues, either. He was nervous, but he did, however, allow himself the luxury of checking out Seto’s posterior as they walked to their destination. 

When they reached an unassuming oak door at the end of the hall, which looked like all the other unassuming oak doors they had passed, Seto stopped and turned to face the blond. A tiny smirk crept across his lips when he saw the blond’s eyes flick up to his face. He opened the door. “Enter,” he commanded.

Without a word of protest, Joey obeyed and shuffled inside. He cast a quick glance around, and saw that they were in some sort of small sitting room. A tan micro-suede sofa and loveseat were in the middle of the room, and a wet bar was in the far corner. Thick, soft ecru carpeting covered the floor, and the walls were painted off-white in a satin finish. A low, square teak coffee table sat between the two pieces of furniture, and bookshelves containing hundreds of leather-bound volumes lined one wall. A fire crackled warmly in the hearth, adding a soft, warm glow to the room. 

Seto set the packages on the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa, crossing his legs. He gestured for Joey to sit, and when the blond had plunked himself down on the loveseat, the brunet leaned forward and stated calmly, “You will explain this to me now.”

Joey licked his lips and found his throat was suddenly very dry. Taking a deep breath and pushing the Santa hat out of his eyes he said, “They’re Christmas presents.”

Seto rolled his eyes. “I can see that much. I want to know why you were putting them in my mailbox.”

Joey felt a faint blush once again creeping up onto his cheeks, and he cracked his knuckles nervously. He looked up and saw Seto’s deep blue eyes peering at him with a mixture of curiosity and… He tipped his head to the side and frowned slightly. What was that other thing he saw? He wasn’t sure, but for some reason, it made him blush even deeper, and he looked away.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to worm his way out of this situation, he sighed resignedly. “I got some Christmas presents for you and Mokuba. I know you hate me, so I didn’t want to look like a big dork giving them to you in person.” He looked down at the floor, toeing the expensive rug miserably. “Although, I don’t think I could feel like a bigger dork than I do right now,” he muttered softly. He heard the soft rustle of fabric and felt a weight on the cushion beside him.

“Joey, I don’t hate you.”

Joey nodded, “Yeah, you loathe me, you despise me…I get it.”

Seto gently placed his hand under Joey’s chin and lifted his head so they were looking eye to eye. “Joey, listen to me. I don’t hate you.”

Joey was once again lost in those dark pools of cobalt blue, and even though it made him feel a little uncomfortable to be caught in Seto’s unyielding gaze, he knew the brunet wasn’t lying. “Well, then what?”

Seto was falling into Joey’s eyes. They were so much like liquid honey, and burned with an intensity unlike anything he’d ever seen. He felt as though he could stare into those golden eyes forever. Startled from his reverie, he asked, “I beg your pardon?”

Joey took a deep breath, his heart pounding as he tried to ask the question he was dying to know the answer to. “I said ‘ _then what_ ’. If you don’t hate me, then what?”

Seto licked his bottom lip, as if pondering his answer. Slowly, purposefully, he leaned forward and captured Joey’s lips in a tender kiss. After a moment, he withdrew and looked at the blond, a soft smile on his face. “Does that answer your question?” he asked.

Joey sat there dumbfounded, his fingers on his lips, the warmth of the kiss swiftly fading. His eyes were wide as he stared at the brunet. At a loss for words, he faltered for a moment before he managed to squeak out, “Why? When?”

Seto shrugged and took Joey’s hand in his. “Does it matter? The point is I’ve found what I want most of all for Christmas. However, the question remains as to whether or not I’ll get it.”

Joey blinked stupidly, looking down at Seto’s fingers entwined with his own, then back up into the brunet’s face. “Are you saying that what you want for Christmas is…me?” He held his breath, waiting to hear that one little word.

Seto smiled. “Yes, I mean you, you silly puppy,” he murmured, then leaned forward for another kiss.

This time, the blond responded hungrily, parting his lips to grant access to Seto’s probing tongue. Joey shifted his body so he was snuggled in Seto’s lap, allowing the brunet to cuddle him tightly to his chest. When they broke for air, Joey looked deep into Seto’s eyes once more. This time he recognized the look in his eyes for what it was – a mixture of love, desire, and unfulfilled passion. Joey nuzzled himself against Seto’s neck, then softly whispered, “I have a present you can open tonight, if you want to.”

Seto quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?” he asked curiously.

The blond nodded, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to give it to you, but now I think I want to.”

“Ok. Which one is it?” Seto asked, looking at the packages sitting on the coffee table.

Joey smiled and leaned close. Nibbling on Seto’s ear, he whispered, “This one.”

Seto smiled, “I see. And how would you suggest I open such a gift?”

Joey blushed. “If you’d like, I can open most of it for you.”

Seto smirked and nodded. “Please, proceed.”

The blond climbed off Seto’s lap and stood in front of the fireplace. He quickly unbuttoned his jacket and threw it onto the sofa, then with a jerk, untucked his shirt from his pants. He flashed Seto a sexy smile as he slowly and seductively unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. Hooking his thumbs into the waistband, he flirtatiously slid them down his hips and back up. Turning around so his back was to the brunet, he glanced over his shoulder, and with a lusty smirk slowly licked his index finger before touching it to his rear and making a sizzling noise. He heard the brunet let out a wanton groan, and he turned again to face Seto. Leaving his pants where they were, he turned his attention to his white button-down shirt. He slowly began to open it, licking his lips hungrily as he did so, eyes sultry under their lashes. Once the garment was open, he ran his hands along his exposed flesh, drawing attention to his firm stomach and hardened nipples.

Seto cleared his throat impatiently, “Puppy, if you don’t hurry this up, I’m going to finish the job for you.”

Flashing a bewitching smile at the brunet, he began to swing his hips in a series of erotic gyrations, each revolution bringing his pants a little further down. When he had them about mid-thigh, he allowed them to fall to the floor. Stepping out of his pants, he kicked them aside, then shrugged his shirt off his shoulders, allowing it to slip silently to the floor. Dancing while his hips worked overtime, he stood in front of Seto wearing his Santa cap, a smile, and a barely-there pair of thong underwear imprinted with Rudolph, Blitzen and Prancer engaged in some sort of reindeer game. “Do you like your present?” he whispered, his erection straining against the flimsy fabric.

Seto nodded, feeling as though his own pants had suddenly become a few sizes too small. He stood up and was about to pull the blond into his arms when the door to the room was flung open. 

In staggered Tristan and Duke wrapped in each other’s arms. Duke slurred in a loud whisper, “Come on, I think this room might be – Oh shit!”

“Whassrong?” Tristan slurred back. “Second thoughts now, Dukey?” He caught sight of Joey and Seto, and froze. “Shh! Maybe they won’t see us.”

Seto rolled his eyes and looked at the two. “Of course I can see you. The lights are on, and you’re standing there like a two jackasses.”

“Yeah well, at least were not standing here like a couple of BARE asses, eh Joey?” Tristan said, then burst out laughing, leaning against Duke for support, watching as the blond scrambled to relocate his recently-discarded clothing. 

Duke stared at Tristan bewildered for a moment, before he, too exploded in laughter. “Yeah, yeah…Hey Joey, you’ve got the eight tiny reindeer, but is it a ‘ _miniature_ ’ sleigh, too?” he quipped, elbowing Tristan in the ribs, and a fresh wave of laughter washed over the two.

Joey was mortified beyond words, and after cursing several times under his breath, he growled, “You two are a couple of fucking idiots. Get the hell out of here!” Buckling his pants, he shoved the two out the door and slammed it behind them. “Shit!” he groaned, flopping down on the couch. “Talk about ruining the moment.”

Seto smiled comfortingly and sat down beside Joey. “Don’t worry about it, Pup. There’ll be other moments.”

Joey looked at him and sighed, “Yeah, I guess there’s always next Christmas.”

Seto smirked mischievously. “Who said anything about next Christmas? I was talking about this one.” Joey raised a questioning eyebrow, and Seto continued. “I don’t know if you have any plans for the holidays or not, and I know this is really last minute… But I want you to stay here tonight and spend Christmas with Mokuba and me.” He gently rubbed Joey’s hand with his thumb, waiting for his answer.

Joey thought about what his Christmas with his father would entail. The old man would get up around noon and start drinking until the bars opened at three. Then he’d be on his own to scrounge what he could for dinner, then sit alone until the bars closed at two. Kaiba’s offer sounded a lot less lonely and definitely a whole lot more fun. “Are you sure?” Joey asked. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to come between family on Christmas and all.”

Seto raised an eyebrow. “Puppy, I told you before that you are what I wanted most for Christmas, and if I have my way you will soon be a part of my family. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I always get my way.”

“Well, it does sound like more fun than what I had planned.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

Another smile split across Seto’s face and he pulled Joey into a tight embrace. Leaning down, he once more captured Joey’s lips in a passionate kiss. Suddenly, the door to the room was flung open once again.

“Big brother, I –“ Mokuba began, then seeing the two engaged in a searing kiss, he stopped and giggled.

Seto looked up at his younger sibling, somewhat annoyed, and said brusquely, “I think I need to start locking my doors behind me.”

“Uh, sorry to bother you, but I need some help.”

“What’s wrong, Mokuba?”

“Everything! I can’t find Tristan and Duke. Bakura and Marik broke into the liquor cabinet and are really drunk, and have decided that the fire isn’t ‘ _roaring_ ’ enough, so they’re looking for some sort of catalyst – last I heard it was gasoline. Téa’s trying to seduce Yami by doing a strip-tease for him. He’s trying to restrain her, but she’s being really pushy!”

“Hell!” Seto cursed, jumping to his feet. He hurried towards the Great Hall, Mokuba and Joey in close pursuit.

* * *

After about twenty minutes, Seto was able to round up Mokuba’s party guests and shove them into his limo. Téa had been restrained by her own pink fur handcuffs with some help from Yami. Duke and Tristan had been found in a linen closet, their pants around their ankles, arms wrapped around each other and fast asleep. Apparently, large amounts of alcohol had made their desire for sleep much stronger than their desire for each other. Joey and Seto had each dragged one of them out to the car and dumped them inside. Finally, Bakura and Marik had been caught in the act of trying to siphon gasoline from Tristan’s Toyota, so it was simply a matter of grabbing them and shoving them into the car. After a stern warning from the brunet that puking in the limo would not be tolerated, he told Yami that Tristan, Marik and Duke could pick up their vehicles sometime tomorrow afternoon. 

“Merry Christmas,” he said as he shut the door and watched with a feeling of relief as the limo pulled out onto the deserted street.

When he got back inside, he saw Joey sitting on the bench in the foyer, and Mokuba standing beside him, a huge grin on his face. As soon as he shut the door, the raven-haired boy began to sing at the top of his lungs, “I saw Seto kissing Joey Claus. Standing by the fire on Christmas Eve…”

“Mokuba,” Seto began warningly. “Christmas has not yet arrived, and you wouldn’t want Santa Claus to skip this house because you weren’t in bed, or because you were doing some last minute things to annoy me, would you?”

The young boy’s eyes went wide, and without a backwards glance he took off up the stairs to his bedroom, calling, “Good night, Seto. Good night, Joey,” over his shoulder.

As soon as the underage child was gone, Seto turned to Joey. “And as for you, I expect you to be in bed in five minutes, or no presents for you, either.” He smiled when Joey’s face dropped into a pout, and he drew the blond into his arms, tilting his head for a dizzying kiss. “My room is the third door on the left. I’ll be there in ten minutes, and I want to finish opening my present at that time.” With a final peck on the lips, he let go of the blond, watching as the blond disappeared up the staircase. Seto then moved Joey’s presents from the sitting room to the Great Hall, grabbed the blond’s bottle of chocolate lube, and went upstairs himself.

* * *

On Christmas morning, Joey awoke somewhat sore, but happy. The night before had been incredible, and Bakura had been right about Colonel Slipdick making a premium product. He couldn’t believe all that had happened – it had felt like some wonderful dream. He felt Seto’s arms wrap around his waist, felt warm breath on his neck as the brunet nestled against his shoulder, and he knew it was real. He turned over and stared into a pair of twinkling blue eyes. “Merry Christmas,” he said, giving Seto a quick kiss on the lips.

“Mmm,” Seto grunted, closing his eyes slowly and opening them again.

“What’s wrong?” Joey asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“Just wanted to make sure you were still here and I wasn’t dreaming,” came the reply. “Merry Christmas, Puppy. How do you feel?”

“Hmm, a little uncomfortable but I’m happy.”

Seto smiled as he rubbed his nose lovingly against the blond’s. “Good. I didn’t want my pet to be in pain on Christmas morning, so I made sure I bought the good stuff.”

Joey’s eyes widened in surprise. “So, you’re my secret admirer? How’d you know we’d get together last night?”

“I didn’t,” Seto shrugged. “I figured if nothing came of it, you’d chalk it up to a stupid prank by one of your friends. I could ask you the same thing about your choice of – undergarments.”

Joey stared at him for a moment before he burst out laughing. “You’re terrible!”

Seto smirked. “Heh, you didn’t say that last night.”

Joey smacked him in the head with a pillow, then said, “Come on, let’s get Mokuba and open some presents.” 

Shortly after, the three were sitting in the Great Hall opening their gifts. Mokuba did get his game system and every conceivable game he could want to go with it. Seto received an executive spa package and black satin pyjama pants with a matching royal blue kimono-style jacket from Mokuba. 

Joey had given Mokuba a comic book subscription, a racing game for his old game system and a gift certificate for him and a friend to go to the movies. For Seto, he had a small painting he had done of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seto had admired the artwork for a few minutes before announcing that it would be put up in his office at Kaiba Corp.

Joey, too, had received several gifts from the Kaiba brothers. Mokuba had given him a Red-Eyes Black Dragon poster, and Seto had purchased a digital camera, a complete wardrobe of summer wear and two tickets for a tropical cruise.

Once all the gifts had been opened, Seto gave Mokuba permission to try out his new video game system. As soon as the younger boy had left the room, Seto turned to Joey and said, “I do have one other gift, but I wanted to give you it in private.”

Joey looked at him in surprise and said, “I thought you gave me that last night.”

Seto smirked and said, “No, silly Puppy. It’s something else.” He reached behind the couch and pulled out a large Blue-Eyes White Dragon plushie that had a very large red velvet bow tied around its neck and handed it to Joey.

The blond gasped and snuggled the plushie. “Thanks, Kaiba! It’s cute, and it’ll make me think I’m with you when I’m at home.”

The brunet grinned and kissed him on the tip of his nose. “Seto,” he corrected, then whispered in Joey’s ear, “Look closer.”

Joey examined the soft, luxurious fur of the plushie, finding nothing unusual about it. He studied the red bow. Tucked inside one of the loops was a small red box. Curiously, he pulled it out and opened it up. Inside was a ring, the simple band made of alternating rows of yellow, white and rose gold. “What –“ he began.

Seto placed his fingers gently over Joey’s lips. “Puppy, I told you last night that if I had my way, you would soon be a part of my family.” He took the ring from the blond and slipped it onto his left ring finger. “Consider this my way of asking you. Besides, don’t you think that cruise would make an excellent honeymoon excursion?”

Joey leaned forward and tenderly kissed Seto. When he pulled back, Seto smiled expectantly.

“Can I take that as a yes?”

Joey wrapped his arms around the other and grinned sexily. “Yes.”


End file.
